Appeal over 'forced confession' to shopkeeper shooting continues

An appeal by a man who claims he was bullied by police into confessing to a fatal shooting should be refused, prosecutors told the Court of Appeal.

Oliver Campbell was 21 when he was convicted following an Old Bailey trial of the fatal shooting of Baldev Hoondle in Hackney, east London, in July 1990 after telling police he was responsible.

Mr Campbell, who suffered brain damage as a baby, was humiliated by officers in interviews, a Court of Appeal hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London was told.

But in his response to submissions by Mr Campbell's legal team, prosecutor John Price KC criticised what he called a “substantial attack” in Mr Campbell's appeal on the conduct of the police.

He admitted that Mr Campbell “was deprived of the services of an appropriate adult” despite being “highly vulnerable”.

But he said the reliability of Mr Campbell’s confession, and the police tactics used to secure it, had been scrutinised by a judge and jury at the original trial.

Lawyers for Mr Campbell, who suffered brain damage as a baby, had earlier told the court that he was humiliated by officers in interviews.

Many were not recorded or conducted with a lawyer present and his subsequent confessions were described as “simply absurd” and having “a litany of inconsistencies”.

No forensic evidence linked him to the crime and he did not match descriptions of the suspects.

The case of Mr Campbell, now aged in his 50s, was referred for appeal in 2022 by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), having been rejected by them nearly two decades ago.

These appeal hearings took place in February and May 2024. Footage was unable to be published until after the court gave judgment in September 2024 due to reporting restrictions.

The panel of judges, comprising Lord Justice Holroyde, Mrs Justice Stacey and Mr Justice Bourne, quashed Mr Campbell's conviction and declined to order a retrial.

The judgment of the court can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/ol...

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos:    / @skynewscourts  

Follow Sky News on Twitter:   / skynews   and   / skynewsbreak  

Like us on Facebook:   / skynews  

Follow us on Instagram:   / skynews  

For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:

Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-n...

Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...